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The Line of Control (LOC) is a line which demarcates the boundary between the territories controlled by two militaries or political entities.
Specifically, the term "LOC" refers to the military control line between India and Pakistan, in the province of Kashmir. Originally known as the "Ceasefire Line", it was redesignated the "Line of Control" after the Simla Agreement, which was formalized in December 1972. The Indians refer to their portion of the territory as Jammu and Kashmir, while the Pakistanis refer to the Indian portion as Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). The Pakistanis refer to their portion of the territory as Azad (Free)Jammu and Kashmir; in turn, the Indians refer to Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (POK).
The cease-fire line between India and People's Republic of China in the Aksai Chin — where it is known as the "Line of Actual Control" (LAC). There have been proposals in the Indian press to regularize the LOC as the international boundary between India and Pakistan; this, however, is against official Indian government policy. Pakistan also desires sovereignty over the entire area.
The LoC has seen various Indo-Pakistani Wars, the latest one being in 1999 when both India and Pakistan fought in the Kargil War. There have been frequent artillery duels between India and Pakistan along the LOC.
Portions of the LOC have been fenced.
History
India received its independence in 1947, following which there was a partition creating the Islamic state Pakistan and much later, Bangladesh (1971)and secular India. During this time, the kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir was semi-autonomous and was ruled over by Maharaja Hari Singh, grandson of Raja Gulab Singh, the Hindu chief who acquired the Kashmir Valley in 1846 from the british who inturn recieved it as a part of the Sikh kingdom of Punjab after the last Anglo-Sikh war.
During the partition of India it was decided that all Muslim majority areas will go to Pakistan and the Hindu majority will go to India;But 500 or so princely states were given the option to join either India or Pakistan most did so. But Jammu and Kashmir was in a unique situation the majority was muslim but the Maharaja was hindu, Also large tracts of the state such as Jammu and Ladakh were predominantly hindu or buddhist which lead the Maharaja to sign a standstill agreement with both countries in order for him to decide the fate of his people, this delay was not acceptable to the radical muslim league which was largely responsible for partition of India on religious lines. Along with Pashtun tribesmen of NWFP of Pakistan and Pakistani army regualrs a force invaded the state of Jammu and Kashmir the plan was to overthrow the maharaja and make the state a part of Pakistan. The army of tribesmen quickly ran over areas like Muzzafrabad and Baramulla, unleashing an orgy of rape, murder and looting on the local Hindu, Sikh as well as Muslim population the one that it was supposed to liberate from the infidel Maharaja. This prompted the maharaja to seek Indian intervention, but Indian leadership insisted that the Maharaja should acceed to India first or else any help would be considered illegal, as the raiders were only a few miles away from the state capital Srinagar, Maharaja agreed to make J&K a part of India by signing the instrument of Accession. In the next few days Indian forces landed in the valley and pushed the raiders back to the present line of control. Interestingly enough the leader of Kashmiri muslims of the valley Sheikh Abdullah sided with India complicating things further while mostly muslim punjabi speaking lower regions of the state now known as Azad Kashmir on the other side of Line of Control supported Pakistan. The matter was taken to the U.N. which declared a cease fire. The land has been designated as a disputed territory, with India and Pakistan both claiming the land in its entirety.